Troop withdrawal complete<\/p>\n
Agencies, Banda Aceh, Aceh<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Military (TNI) withdrew its final contingent of
\nnon-local troops from Aceh on Thursday, a key step in a peace
\npact that was propelled forward by the devastating tsunami one
\nyear ago.<\/p>\n
\"The troops have pulled out... this is the final relocation,\"
\nspokeswoman Faye Belnis from the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM)
\ntold AFP, adding that troops had boarded departing ships.<\/p>\n
Some 3,800 soldiers, carrying automatic rifles and heavy bags,
\nand singing marching songs, boarded five Navy vessels and a
\nHercules air carrier in the port town of Lhokseumawe, just days
\nafter Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels handed over all their
\nweapons and disbanded their military wing.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people attended a ceremony marking the completion
\nof the weapons decommissioning -- the most delicate phase of the
\npeace deal signed in August to end the bitter conflict that
\nkilled nearly 15,000 people.<\/p>\n
\"We realize that lasting peace is the desire of all Acehnese.
\nLet us create a peaceful atmosphere and free the people of Aceh
\nfrom fear and danger, both physical and non-physical,\" said Aceh
\nmilitary commander Maj. Gen. Supiadin Adi Saputra, who presided
\nover the ceremony.<\/p>\n
\"The flame of peace is burning and we must not let anyone
\nextinguish it,\" Supiadin told hundreds of Acehnese who assembled
\nto see the troops depart.<\/p>\n
He said former GAM guerrillas had the same rights as the rest
\nof the population and urged them to take part in rebuilding the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
\"All of the non-local troops are gone. We've closed our
\noffices,\" Aceh military spokesman Lt. Col. Eri Soetiko told AP.<\/p>\n
Also attending Thursday's ceremony was AMM chief Pieter Feith
\nand GAM representatives. \"Now GAM can use ballots, not bullets,
\nto fulfill their aspirations,\" said Feith.<\/p>\n
\"I'm very happy. I have missed my wife terribly,\" said Lt.
\nAnugerah, from the East Java city of Surabaya, who has been in
\nAceh for eight months.<\/p>\n
The final withdrawal of government security forces -- a
\ncontingent of police reinforcements -- will take place on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
Supiadin said the government had now pulled out 24,125
\nsoldiers from Aceh under the Aug. 15 peace agreement.<\/p>\n
He did not say how many were left, but once the last police
\ncontingent goes, government forces in Aceh should be no more than
\n14,700 soldiers and 9,100 police.<\/p>\n
For its part, GAM has handed over 840 weapons as required
\nunder the peace accord.<\/p>\n
The success of the weapons handover and the almost
\nsimultaneous withdrawal of tens of thousands of troops and police
\nhas surprised even optimists.<\/p>\n
Security experts say the next challenges are finding jobs for
\nformer GAM fighters and satisfying rebel demands for political
\nparticipation in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Implementation of the pact, which is being overseen by 240
\nmonitors from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the
\nEuropean Union, has so far exceeded the expectations of the most
\noptimistic observers.<\/p>\n
It was hammered out in the wake of the December 2004 tsunami,
\nwhich killed some 168,000 Acehnese and forced both sides to take
\nstock of their priorities.<\/p>\n
GAM dropped its demand for independence in exchange for a form
\nof local government in Aceh, a province of more than four million
\npeople. The government agreed to grant ex-fighters amnesty.<\/p>\n
Former fighters have come down from Aceh's forested hills in
\nrecent months and several rebel leaders have returned to their
\nhomeland after more than 25 years of self-exile.<\/p>\n
Some, however, have refused to come back because they are wary
\nthe peace deal would collapse and that they would be arrested or
\nkilled.<\/p>\n
After a 2003 accord fell apart, the military kicked out
\nforeign observers and restarted combat operations against the
\nrebels.<\/p>\n
Supiadin said on Thursday the military guaranteed the security
\nof all returning rebels.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/troop-withdrawal-complete-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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